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NON-FISH SPECIES
NON-FISH SPECIES
There are several animals that are kept in aquaria, that are not fish. Some of the common non-fish aquarium species are included here.
Invertebrates
There are several invertebrates kept in aquaria, snails being the most common. When keeping invertebrates remember that the pH should be kept above 7.0, and the water should be copper free. Always aerate the water well.
Apple snails (Ampullaria, Pomacea): Apple snails can reach the size of an apple and come in a variety of colors. These snails breathe at the water surface through a proboscis, and may move above the water and right out of the tank if there is not a tight-fitting cover. This snail eating decaying matter and flake foods. If the Apple snail is not fed sufficiently, it will eat plants. The eggs are laid above the water.
Ramshorn snails (Helisoma): There are a wide variety of ramshorn snails which have a shell shaped like a ram's horn. Ramshorn snails reach a size of 0.8" (2 cm). Ramshorn snails may eat plants and multiply rapidly with overfeeding. Ramshorn snails will eat algae.
Malaysian or Trumpet snails (Melanoides): These snails, having a spiraled shell, bear live young. They move through the substrate loosening it up and consuming debris. These snails do not harm plants.
Mystery snails (Viviparus): These snails reach a size of 0.8" (2 cm) and feeds on algae, plant matter, and excess food. The young are born live. Do not allow the water temperature to exceed 75°F (24°C).
Blue Marron (Cherax tenuimanus): The Blue Marron inhabits pools in West Australia. Use water with a pH from 7.2-8.5, 8-20 dH, 59-72°F (15-22°C). Blue Marron are territorial and each fish require a retreat. This species can be combined with large non-aggressive fish, especially if the movable portion of the claw is removed. Blue Marron feed on decaying matter in nature, and almost anything in aquaria. Before molting, the crayfish may lose color, stop eating, and rest upside down. For two days after spawning, the Marron is vulnerable. The Blue Marron has been bred with some success. Males have projections at the base of the fifth pair of legs, while females have openings at the base of the third pair of legs. The Blue Marron can be induced to spawn by raising the temperature and increasing the period of illumination. The young, numbering as many as 300, can be removed from the underside of the female's tail. The parents are cannibalistic.
Penguin Shrimp (Atyopsis): The shrimp in this genus range in size, though those that do not exceed 4" (10 cm) are recommended for aquaria. This shrimp can be combined with peaceful fish of the upper swimming levels. The Penguin Shrimp feeds on most foods. In a tank with several specimen, young will likely produced as long as there is plenty of cover and algae. The young drop of the underside of the female and try to escape without being eaten.
Red-clawed Crab: The Red-Clawed crab is a species that must be allowed access to the surface. Thus this species is better suited to a brackish water, half-filled aquarium. The Red-clawed crab feeds on any dry food or plant matter. Use a tight-fitting cover. The Red-clawed crab reaches 2.7" (7 cm) and can be combined with other brackish water species. This crab can be kept in hard, alkaline freshwater.
Fiddler Crab (Uca): The Fiddler crab reaches 2.4" (6 cm). This species must have access to dry land, and is best kept in a tank filled only half way with water. Brackish water is preferred, and a sandy beach is suggested. This crab constructs burrows in the sand. The tank should be furnished with a tight-fitting cover. Combine the Fiddler crab with medium sized brackish water species. This species will eat almost any foods.
Amano Shrimp (Caridina japonica): Information coming soon.
Vertebrates
African Water Frog (Hymenochirus): These aquatic frogs, up to 3.2" (8 cm), can be kept in a well-planted aquarium housed with peaceful fish species. African frogs eat live foods that reach the substrate, but will not compete for food. This frog is most active at dusk and should be fed after the lights are off so that it is more likely to be able to reach the food.
African Clawed Frog (Xenopus): This aquatic frog, can be kept in an aquarium with medium-sized, peaceful fish. Females reach 5" (13 cm), while males reach 3.2" (8 cm). Feed this frog live food. Breeding produces as many as 15,000 eggs, which hatch after two days. Use water with a pH from 6.5-8, 2-10 dH, 77-84°F (24-29°C).
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Recent news
New Yangtze River dam could doom more endangered species
(06/22/2009)
Eight Chinese environmentalists and scientists have composed a letter warning that a new dam under consideration for the Yangtze River could lead to the extinction of several endangered species. The letter contends that Xiaonanhia Dam, which would be 30 kilometers upstream from the city of Chongqing, will negatively impact the river’s only fish reserve. Spanning 400 kilometers in the upper Yangtze, the reserve is home to 180 fish species, including the Endangered Chinese sturgeon, and the Critically Endangered Chinese paddlefish, as well as the finless porpoise.
Fish take less than a decade to evolve
(06/22/2009)
Evolution is often thought of being a slow-process, taking thousands, if not millions, of years. However a new study in The American Naturalist found that Trinidadian guppies underwent evolution in just eight years, or thirty generations. Less than a decade ago Swanne Gordon, a graduate student at UC Riverside, and her team introduced Trinidadian guppies into the Damier River in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They placed the guppies above a waterfall to allow them to flourish in a largely predator-free environment.
Madfish?: scientist warns that farmed fish could be a source of mad cow disease
(06/17/2009)
In a paper that shows just how strange our modern world has become, Robert P. Friedland, neurologist from the University of Louisville, warns that farmed fish could be at risk of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, or mad cow disease.
New report predicts dire consequences for every U.S. region from global warming
(06/17/2009)
Government officials and scientists released a 196 page report detailing the impact of global warming on the U.S. yesterday. The study, commissioned in 2007 during the Bush Administration, found that every region of the U.S. faces large-scale consequences due to climate change, including higher temperatures, increased droughts, heavier rainfall, more severe weather, water shortages, rising sea levels, ecosystem stresses, loss of biodiversity, and economic impacts.
Will jellyfish take over the world?
(06/16/2009)
It could be a plot of a (bad) science-fiction film: a man-made disaster creates spawns of millions upon millions of jellyfish which rapidly take over the ocean. Humans, starving for mahi-mahi and Chilean seabass, turn to jellyfish, which becomes the new tuna (after the tuna fishery has collapsed, of course). Fish sticks become jelly-sticks, and fish-and-chips becomes jelly-and-chips. The sci-fi film could end with the ominous image of a jellyfish evolving terrestrial limbs and pulling itself onto land—readying itself for a new conquest.
Marine scientist calls for abstaining from seafood to save oceans
(06/08/2009)
In April marine scientist Jennifer Jacquet made the case on her blog Guilty Planet that people should abstain from eating seafood to help save life in the ocean. With fish populations collapsing worldwide and scientists sounding warnings that ocean ecosystems—as edible resources—have only decades left, it is perhaps surprising that Jacquet’s call to abstain from consuming seafood is a lone voice in the wilderness, but thus far few have called for seafood lovers to abstain.
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